Changeable dot stamping device



June 24, 1958 J. A. HAA'G CHANGEABLE DOT STAMPING DEVICE Filed March 25, 1955 INVENTOR. JOHN A. HAAG ATTORNEY States Patent 2,839,994 CHANGEABLE DOT STAMPING DEVICE 7 John A. Haag, Beaverton, Oreg. Application March 25, 1955, Serial No. 496,686 1 Claim. (Cl. 101- -372) This invention relates in general to stamping devices, such as date stamps and the like, employed for the purpose of imprinting desired data on letters, invoices, or other papers or records, and, in particular, to stamping devices provided with changeable marking indicia.

More specifically this invention relates to stamping devices of this general type which are used for, simultaneously marking several sheets, thus for example, for marking the-original of an invoice or letter together with the carbon copies of the same.

Heretofore devices which have been used for marking or stamping a plurality of sheets simultaneously have accomplished this by perforating the sheets, the small perforating needles being so arranged that the resulting perforations will form the desired letters or numbers. An object of the present invention is to provide a novel stamping device which willenable the desired marking to be placed on the copies of the original, while the original is being stamped, with the marking of 'the copies being accomplished through the medium of the same carbon sheets used in making such copies and without necessitating any perforating of either the original or any of the copies. 7

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved stamping. device in which the indicia or marking characteristics are produced by members or marking elements which can easily and conveniently be rearranged or interchanged. so as toalter such. indicia or marking notation as desired.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and interchangeable stamping device which can be employed with any ordinary inking or stamping pad of the type commonly used for date stamping devices.

The manner in which these objects and other incidental advantages are achieved by my invention and the construction and operation of the preferred form of my invention will be readily understoodfrom the following brief description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective View of one form in which a stamping device embodying my invention may be made;

Figure 2 is a sectional elevation, taken through the center of the device of Figure l and drawn to a larger scale;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary section on line 33 of Figure 2 drawn to a still larger scale;

Figure 4 is an elevation, on an enlarged scale, of one of the removable and interchangeable pins which form the marking indicia on the printing head of the Stamp;

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the stamping head, being taken on line 5-5 of Figure 2 and drawn to an enlarged scale; and

Figure 6 is a corresponding plan section on line 6-6 of Figure 2.

Referring first to Figures 1 and 2, the stamping device which is shown by way of illustration, comprises a supporting frame formed with an arched base 10, which Patented June 24, 1958 2 v a base is provided with an integral central top tubular portion 11 which serves as a, guideway and channel for a plunger 12 which isslidable up and down therein to a limited extent. A handle or head 15 is secured on the top of the plunger 12. The plunger 12 is normally held in raised position by' a spring 13, which extends around the upper end of the plunger and which is held under slight compression between the handle 15 and the bottom of an inside recess 13 in the tubular portion 11, the' lower end of the spring 13 being seated in the recess; A- limit screw 14 engages a slot 12A extending along the plunger 12 and serves the double purpose of limiting the up and down movement of the plunger and of preventing rotation of the plunger with respect to the base 10 and tubular guideway 11.

The' bottom end of the plunger 12 (see also Figure 3) has a-reduced diameter portion 12B, and a member 16,v formed with a central top recess 16A of larger diameter than the portion 123, is connected to the bottom end of the plunger 12 by what amounts to a limited universal joint. A pin 16B extends diametrically through the recessed top portion of the member 16 and passes through a channel in the portion 12B, the diameter of which channel increases outwardly from the center towards each end of the channel.

1 Themember 16 has a threaded, downwardly extending stem 17 on which a perforated plate 18 is removably screwed. A cap 19, shaped preferably as shown in Figure 2, fits over the top of the perforated plate 18. The cap 19 has a central channel, the diameter of the upper portion of which corresponds to the maximum diameter of member 16, the diameter of the lower portion of which corresponds to the external diameter of a boss 18A on the top of the plate 18'and an interposed shoulder 19A in the channel has an internal diameter approximately eqivalent to that of the threaded stem 17. Thus the cap 19 is so formed as to be clamped on the member 16 by the plate 18.

The plate 18 is provided with a series of perforations 20 arranged close together and preferably in concentric circles. These perforations are of proper size'to receive printing pins 21, one of whichpins is shown on menlarged scale in Figure 4. The printing pins 21 are all identical and terminate at their tops'in frusto-conical or enlarged diameter portions 21B. The top face of the plate 18 is beveled around each perforation 20 so that when the plate 18is removed from the device and held horizontal with its top face uppermost and a pin 21 is inserted in one of the perforations 20, the pin will drop down until the top of the pin is flush with the top of the plate 18, the pin being kept from dropping out from the plate by its enlarged head.

In preparing the device for use, the plate 18 is unscrewed from the stem 17 of member 16 and pins 21 are set in the perforations 20 in such arrangement as to form any desired notation, thus for example, to spell the word Paid together with one or more numbers. Then the plate 18, carrying the pins so arranged, is set back in place on the device with the cap 19 above it and is tightly screwed on the stem 17.

The bottom ends 21A of the pins 21 are flat and blunt, or they may be slightly rounded on the periphery as shown in Figure 4. In any event the bottom ends of the pins must be blunt enough so that there will be nov possibility that they will puncture any paper against which they are pressed in the stamping operation.

When my device, in the form illustrated is to be used, the pins having been arranged so as to make the desired notation, the device is placed over an ordinary bottom ends of thepins into contact with the stamping pad so as to cause the bottom ends of the pins to be inked (such inked bottom ends of the pins being'shown on the right in Figure for use. Assuming that an original invoice and a number of carbon copies of theinvoice are to be stamped, the carbon copies and carbon paper are left in place beneath the original and 'the stamping device'is placedover the original at the desired location. The plunger is then pressed down onto the original invoice and the inked ends of'the pins produce the desired marking on such original. At the same time the pressure at the bottom ends ofthe pins on the underlying sheets of paper and interposed carbons will result in this same marking being reproduced on all the copies of the invoice simultaneously with vthe stamping of the original. The small blunt ends of the pins enable the marking notation to be reproduced 2,839,994 V ff M central threaded boss engaging said stem, said plate being The device is now ready through a number of carbon copies without any excessive effort on the part of the operator and also without producing any mutilation or'puncturing of any sheet.

Several modifications could be made in the particular device which I have illustrated as a means for carrying out my invention without departing from the principle of the inventions Thus the imprinting head could be connected to the operating handle or plunger in various .ways corresponding to the various mountings commonly used in different but well-known types of dating stamps with which inking pads are provided. It is essential however that the stamping device have a removable perforated head for carrying the interchangeable pins and that the bottom, or paper-engaging ends of the pins, be sufiiciently blunt so that there will be no likelihood of any puncturing of the paper occurring as a result of the stamping operation. 1

I claim:

In a stamping device of the character described, a supporting frame having an open arched base, and a guideway extending upwardly from the central portion of the top of said arched base, a manually-operable, vertically movable, spring mounted plunger slidably supported in said guideway for limited up and down movement, a member mounted on the bottom of said plunger by a limited substantially universal joint and located within said arched base, said member having a downwardly-extending threaded stern, a plate removably mounted on said threaded stem, said plate having a in raised position within said arched base when said plunger assembly is in normal raised position, said plate formed with symmetrically arranged perforations of identical size, identical marking pins selectively and removably placed in some of said performations in a desired grouping arrangement, the bottom ends of said pins extending below said plate, the top ends of said pins terminating in increased diameter portions to prevent said pins from' dropping entirely through said perforations, the top face of said plate being beveled around each of said perforations to receive and seat said top ends of said pins, the top ends of the pins being flush with the top face of said plate, and a cap carried on said plate and clamped between the top of said plate and the main portion of said member when said plate is screwed onto said stem of said member and thereby preventing said pins from being pushed upwardly with respect to said plate, the bottom ends of said pins being blunt to prevent the puncturing of a sheet of paper when contacted by said bottom ends, said bottom ends adapted for being inked by contact with an inking pad, whereby, when said bottom endsof said pins, after being inked, are pressed against a sheet of paper, said pins will produce a particular markingon said paper in accordance with the arranged grouping of said pins in said plate, and the placing of additional sheets of paper and carbons beneath said first mentioned sheet prior to said marking will cause said marking to be transferred simultaneously to said additional sheets.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 151,723 Sigwalt June 9, 1874 211,619 Campbell Jan. 28, 1879 390,155 Boyd Sept. 25, 1888 486,906 Stenwall Nov. 29, 1892 509,858 Anton Dec. 5, 1893 973,556. Peterson Oct. 25, 1910 1,465,388 Dryer Aug. 21, 1923 1,476,272 Swanson Dec. 4, 1923 1,489,015 Sherman Apr. 1, 1924 2,079,080 Melind May 4, 1937 2,567,308 Wockenfuss Sept. 11, 1951 2,572,682 Urish Oct. 23, 1951 

